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What We Do

We provide the thought leadership and expertise to define the space, shape the discussion and turn ideas into audacious, achievable action on a grand scale.

We start by identifying the Grand Challenges of our time — the global crises and market failures where solutions are thought to be either out of reach or just, plain impossible. And then we design and operate incentivized prize competitions to solve them.

We call this process, Visioneers.

We act as a convening platform, bringing together passionate partners to accelerate a positive future based upon our vision of a preferred state: The sponsors, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, industry, government, academia and innovators who help us make the impossible possible.

We ignore conventional wisdom and all the reasons “why not.” And we don’t take no for an answer. We are a friend to responsible industry and seek to partner wherever possible to ensure a smooth path to adoption of new technologies resulting from our competitions. Our primary allegiance is to the innovators and their radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. Through our design process, we create competitions that incentivize and empower them. They are the real heroes who turn science fiction into science reality. So, if industry is unwilling or obstinate, we really don’t care. We’re coming through anyway because we side with the innovators and humanity.

We don’t dictate the solution. We ask the right questions. And we provide the platform, global visibility, credibility and opportunity for our innovators to take risks that ultimately lead to radical breakthroughs. Together, we create the future.

Not just ideas or talk, but with tangible action and results that come from our sponsors’ and donors’ leveraged investment. Some ask, “What fraction of our investment goes to the cause versus overhead?” We believe the better question is, “How many times does an XPRIZE multiply your investment?”

Case in point: The Ansari XPRIZE. An initial investment of $2.5 million enabled us to offer a $10 million prize purse that drove teams from around the world to spend over $100 million in R&D (10x the prize purse), resulting in a $2 billion private space industry. $2 million to $2 billion. Now, that’s radical philanthropy.

And because XPRIZE competitions only reward the winners, they are models of efficiency. Back an XPRIZE and you automatically back the winner.

Bottom line. We make the impossible possible. And everybody wins: Sponsors, competitors, industries and the world. If you want to get our attention, just tell us something’s impossible.